A week full of variety

A varied week: meetings with the local council about our street, followed by two days of noise and a blocked street, a visit to a beautiful exhibition in an attractive city, a wintry walk on the beach, warm days and a return of the Russian bear.

 

 

For a variety of reasons trees and shrubs in our street opposite our houses had to be felled. We teamed up to fight for this narrow strip of nature, which is the home of two different species of woodpeckers, of a variety of little song birds who breed here, of bats, crows, pigeons and jackdaws, as well as jays and green parakeets, exotic species but apparently domesticated. After a meeting, the end result of several meetings, we at least achieved that we will get a varied strip of shrubs and trees back, with flowering shrubs which attract bees and butterflies. An oral promise isn’t the same as one in writing, and who knows what will happen after the elections for a new council next week? But we have it in black and white, on paper. On Tuesday morning at 7.30 am they were already at it in full force, blocking the street for two days with heavy machinery. It looks bare now, but will get worse in September when all the shrubs will be removed, to get better in November when the strip will be replanted – we were promised!

A somewhat unusual picture of St Caecilia at her portative pipe organ

 

Jesus being baptised by John the Baptist

 It was also a week to see friends. With one friend I visited an exhibition of illuminated manuscripts from the Southern Netherlands in the Catharijneconvent in Utrecht. A surprising and spectacular exhibition, of religious as well as historical and literary manuscripts, all beautifully illuminated, the bright colours as vivid as if they had been painted yesterday. There was even an encyclopedia of sorts. I couldn’t resist buying the catalogue - a heavy tome -, as the miniatures were so detailed and interesting. Now I can enjoy them at home at my leisure.

Some examples of the beautiful illustrations, thanks to the Catharijneconvent

   

 

The videos and workshops were also quite interesting. Being with a friend who enjoys retail therapy and being in a wonderful city with endless possibilities, we had some time left to go around the shops, enjoying the beauty of Utrecht on this sunny, bright and quiet day. A curry for dinner was a satisfactory end of an interesting day.

 Oude Gracht Utrecht

The day after the weather had completely changed and it was very cold and very windy. I went to the north of Holland to visit another friend and we were blown out of our skins during a long walk on the beach. The light on the water was amazing, and we also enjoyed a lovely lunch in one of the beach cafes, basking in whatever sun there was behind glass. The wind was so strong that unfortunately one of my ear studs was blown out of my ear. I will miss this bright blue and gold glass souvenir from Murano. Perhaps a pointer that it has been too long since I spent time studying in Venice? 

 Petten

After a busy day at home, the temperature dropped and it was freezing when I left choir practice last night. Today it is still freezing, a thin dust of snow covered everything this morning, and the wind from the East is very cold indeed. The Russian bear is back and we have put on our thickest and warmest winter coats again. After a few beautiful sunny days, spring now seems far away. The blossoms on my magnolia tree which looked like transparent pale pink butterflies have turned brown overnight. No ballet dancers on my tree, but tiny crumpled balls of brown tissue paper, very sad indeed. However, the days are lengthening, so there is hope that spring will come back! May it be soon!